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1. Field of Invention
The seat cover for an automobile to be installed over existing automobile seats includes at least two fabric straps having a hook surface, each of the fabric straps being attached to the automobile seat by a lower hook engaging the lower seat frame, an upper hook engaging the headrest supports, and an intermediate retaining bracket which engages each strap and retains it in the fold of the automobile seat located between the seat portion and the back portion of the automobile seat, the straps held against the inner surface of the seat with the hook surface facing outward from the automobile seat, with a lower seat cover covering the seat portion, the lower seat cover having an inner surface having a fabric loop surface which engages the hook surface of each strap, and an upper seat cover covering the back portion, the upper seat cover also having an inner surface having a fabric loop surface which engages the hook surface of each strap, the upper seat cover also having a headrest cover which covers the headrest of the automobile seat, the headrest cover removably attaching to the upper seat cover by a headrest retaining tab made of a fabric hook material.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to automotive seat covers which are intended to be placed over existing automobile seats.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,472 to Gray, a fastening means for a custom fit seat cover includes a seat cover material having a loop pile fastening structure conforming to the seat to be covered, a plurality of hook pile fastening tabs connected to the seat cover material, the hook pile fastening tabs wrapped around the portion of the seat to be covered with the hook pile fastening tabs fastened to the seat cover whereby the hook pile fastening tabs wrap around the portion of the seat to be covered and are adjustable over the loop pile surface of the seat cover material. The hook material is not provided in straps that attach to the headrest by a first hook, the lower seat frame by a second hook and within the fold of the upper and lower seat portion by a hook, adjusted to tension and attach to the loop material on the back of the seat covers, the straps remaining fastened to the seat when the seat covers are removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,539 to Dewar discloses a lower seat cover attached to the lower portion of an automobile seat by a lap strap engaging a buckle strap, an upper seat cover attached to the upper portion of an automobile seat by a second lap strap engaging a buckle strap, and a separate headrest cover attaching to a headrest by adhesive strips. The straps are all integrated with the seat covers and are removed with the seat covers. The straps do not remain on the seat when the seat covers are removed for periodic cleaning.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,026 to Toyota, a headrest secured automobile seat cover is disclosed having a contoured seat cover which folds to cover the front of the upper seat portion and top of the lower seat portion of an automobile seat, the attachment to the seat comprising bottom straps, middle straps and top straps. The top straps are either permanently attached to the seat cover or removably attached through respective loops attached to the seat cover the top straps further attached to the seat by either hooks, VELCRO or ball and snap chain attaching to the headrest support bars at the top of the seat the bottom and middle straps are also either permanently attached to the seat cover or placed through loops attached to the seat cover, the opposite ends of those straps either attaching to each other by a buckle, or having hooks attached to the ends which engage some portion of the seat. The seat cover may be removed, but the top, middle and lower straps must be detached from the seat if they are permanently attached, or are left dangling if placed through loops on the seat cover, each strap having to be reattached independently when the seat cover is reapplied.
Other patents reviewed in preparation of this application include U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,898 to Bodrero, U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,676 to Lien, U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,252 to Wallach and U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,017 to Middleton.
In older vehicles and in some restorations, the automobile seats will wear out to the extent that reupholstery becomes necessary or at least an aesthetic option. This can be costly, and as demonstrated by the abundance of prior art in this area, temporary or removably seat covers my be the most practical option. In the prior art, as noted above, nearly all of the seat covers attach to the seats through straps or fastening materials which are either permanently attached to the seat or are removed when the seat cover is removed. To date, the seat cover and the attaching means have not been presented as truly independent, nor has the attaching means which remains on the seat been presented in a manner not permanently attached to the seat cover by either an adhesive or seam. In addition, if the seat cover is removed for periodic cleaning or a change of taste, the attaching means must be repositioned and reapplied to attach the seat covers back onto the automobile seat. It would be of much convenience to provide the attaching means as completely independent from the seat cover with removal of the seat cover not effecting the attachment of the attaching means to the automobile seat, making reapplication of the seat cover less time consuming and requiring less effort, and also making reapplication more consistent than if the entire attaching means had to be repositioned and completely reapplied.
It is therefore the objective of the present seat cover to provide an upper seat cover with an integrated headrest cover and a lower seat cover with a loop pile material on their inner surfaces and at least two independent elongated straps having an outer surface with a hook pile material, each strap having an upper end attached to an upper hook engaging the headrest support bar, a lower end attached to a lower hook engaging the lower seat portion frame on the underside of the lower seat portion, and an intermediate segment of the strap which is placed through a gap between the upper seat portion and the lower seat portion, the intermediate segment retained through the gap by an intermediate hook. The at least two independent elongated straps are attached to the automobile seat, and then the upper seat cover is attached to the upper seat portion, the loop pile material of the seat cover attaching to the hook pile material on each strap, after which the lower seat cover is attached to the lower seat portion, the loop pile material on the lower seat cover attaching to the hook pile material on each strap. If the seat covers are removed, the straps remain secured to the automobile seat which remain attached, making reapplication of the seat covers a simple process of merely placing the seat covers back on the automobile seats.
A second objective of the present seat cover is to have a headrest cover integrated with the upper seat cover, the headrest cover simply wrapping around the headrest and attaching to a tab on the back surface of the upper seat cover, thereby giving the headrest a uniform upholstered appearance to the remainder of the automobile seat without the need of providing an additional piece of material to have to deal with during installation, the separate headrest covers being the subject matter of several prior art patents.